Novel polish combination



y 1964 J. J. ANDERSON ETAL 3,131,410

NOVEL POLISH COMBINATION Filed April 12, 1963 INVENTORS, JoH/v J.ANDERSON Mum/w c HARP/5 3,i3l,4l Patented May 5;, 1954.

3,131,410 NOVEL PQLESH COMBDIATIGN John J. Anderson, Kenosha, andWiiliam (1. Harris, Racine, Wis, assignors to S. C. iohnson & Son, Inc,Racine, Wis.

Filed Apr. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 272,593 5 Claims. ((Jl. 15-244) Thisinvention relates to a novel shoe protective kit, and, moreparticularly, to a shoe polishing kit which is extremely compact,permitting convenient storage, but which provides the necessary polishand means for applying said polish to shoes. The invention also embracesa novel shoe polish applicator.

In the prior art, a large number of shoe protective kits have beensuggested, incorporating a paste wax, for preserving and beautifyingshoes. Most of these kits have been relatively complicated, requiring anunduly large amount of storage space, both in the home and at the pointof sfle. Additionally, such kits are more costly than the averageconsumer could afford or was willing to pay. Further, since the applierwas maintained outside of the receptacle containing the polish, afterthe first use, residual polish on the applier would dry, eventuallyflaking off and leaving the applicator hard, stiff and often unfit forfurther use.

Therefore, in the past, most of the shoe polish sold has been packagedin relatively flat containers without providing applicator means. Suchpackages are inexpensive, easy to store in the home and are highlyacceptable to retailens where shelf space is always at a premium. In anefiort to eliminate, or at least lessen the unpleasant task of applyingthe polish to the shoes, manufacturers have placed small pieces oftextile, such as wool or felt, in the container for applying the polish.However, although this expediency was, seemingly, an improvement overapplying the polish with ones lingers or with a cloth kept on theoutside of the container, the polishing job with such an applicator was,at best, still messy. Thus, :the polishing cloth soon became fouled withpolish, with it being difiicult, if not impossible, to maintain thepolish, as ideally intended, only on one surface of the cloth. When thepolishing cloth became fouled on both surfaces, the shoe polishobviously is transferred to the fingers upon polishing. Further, sincethe polishing cloth has no convenient means of grasping, even uponinitial use, the fingers, particularly the undensurface of thefingernails, become covered with polish. The polish, .containing apermanent dye, was diflicult'to remove. Moreover, once the polish levelin the container became low, the cloth had a tendency to flop aroundwithin the container, becoming more completely fouled on all surfaces.Therefore, after one or two polishing operations, the job of applyingpolish with the cloth was substantially as dirty as when applying thepolish with ones fingers.

In an eifozt to simplify and to make the task of polishing shoes morepleasant, thereby increasing the marketability of shoe polish, wedesigned a shoe polishing kit, described in US. Patent No. 3,000,035,which has been enthusiastically received. Our aforesaid kit includes thenecessary polish, together with a convenient applicator, permitting theapplication of the polish in a clean, convenient manner. However, aserious shortcoming of our kit is its height, which requiresconsiderable marketing space, as well as storage space in the home.Moreover, the package is relatively expensive to manufacture.

In studying the marketing of such an item, it became apparent that,ideally, a shoe polishing kit should be compact, tightly sealed toprevent drying of the paste wax, have means of preventing the paste fromrotation within the container, provide a convenient means of opening thecontainer and have a means of application, which means would remain freefrom polish, even after many uses. Thus, it is necessary that theapplicator remain firmly positioned in the container, even after thecontainer is substantially empty.

Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a shoepolishing kit which is compact, requiring only a smail storage area, andwhich provides a clean mess-free means of applying the polish to shoes.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a shoepolishing kit which is hermetically sealed, preventing evaporation ofthe volatile components of the polish, but which is easily opened.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a shoepolishing kit containing an applicator means which is firmly positionedwithin the container and remains free from polish, except on thepolishing surface, throughout the life of the kit.

It is still another object of the instant invention to provide a shoepolishing applicator suitable for packaging in a substantially flatcontainer which is convenient to use and inexpensive.

These and other objects will become more fully apparent from thefollowing detailed description with particular emphasis being placedupon the drawing.

In general, the objects of the instant invention are accomplished byproviding a shoe polishing kit comprising a substantially flatreceptacle containing paste wax and a novel applicator. The receptacle,which forms no part of the instant invention as such, is a low domedcircular box comprising a container portion and a cover portion. Thecover portion has a skirt of slightly larger diameter than the containerportion, providing a hermetic seal when the cover and container areproperly engaged. The novel applicator comprises a sponge portion,preferably a polyurethane foam, a substantially rigid backing memberfixedly attached to the sponge portion and a top portion fixedlyattached to the rigid backing member and sponge portion. The top portionhas butterfly tabs which are substantially fiat when the applicator isin the receptacle and the receptacle closed. However, when thereceptacle is open, the tabs are raised, permitting convenient grasping,and providing means of firmly holding the applicator while polishing theshoes. Preferably, the tabs have interlocking ribs at the extreme endsof their upper surface, enhancing the rigidity of the applicator whileapplying polish.

As will be apparent from the drawing, described fully hereinafter, thebutterfly tabs perform a dual function. Thus, while providing anapplicator which occupies a minimum of space when the receptacle isclosed, and still permitting convenient gripping of the applicator, thetabs, once raised upright for grasping, have a tendency to remainpartially upright, thereby pressing against the top of the cover portionof the receptacle when the receptacle is again closed. This co-actionbetween the receptacle and the applicator prevents the applicator fromflopping around within the container, particularly when the polish ispartially used, eliminating fouling of the fingergrips of the applicatorwith polish and, subsequently, soiling of the fingers of the user whenagain applying polish.

As is apparent, therefore, regardless of the polish level, theapplicator remains upright and free of polish. This feature assures acontinuous means of applying the polish without polish getting on theusers fingers. Yet, the entire shoe protective kit is extremely compact,convenient and inexpensive.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a material part of the application,and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like partsthroughout the specification:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the shoe polishing kit;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the shoe polishing kit when the receptacleis closed, illustrating in broken lines the snap-off feature of thecover portion;

FIGURE 3 is a front, cross-sectional view of the shoe polishing kit whenthe receptacle is closed;

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the novel applicator, partly incross-section, with the butterfly tabs upright and in interlockingposition; and

FIGURE 5 is a broken away, enlarged front view, partly in cross-section,showing the butterfly tabs partly upright and illustrating theserrations on the skirt of the top portion of the applicator in brokenlines, before being turned in.

More specifically, referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, 1 defines thecover portion and 2 the container portion of the receptacle. Numeral 3defines the novel applicator. In the preferred embodiment shown in thedrawing, cover 1 has ridges which correspond to, and engage indentations29, shown clearly in FIGURE 3 of container portion 2, preventingslipping and sliding when more than one receptacle is stacked one uponanother. This feature is advantageous in displaying the merchandise atthe point of sale. Skirt portion 11, which is slightly larger indiameter than bevelled lip 21 of the container portion, enabling ahermetic seal, is partially cut away at areas 12 and 13, permitting asnap-off action when pressure is applied at indentation 14 of the coverand to the corresponding underside of the container portion.

Container portion 2 has bevelled lip 21, as noted above, of slightlysmaller diameter than skirt portion 11 of cover portion 1. The rolledlip, in addition to facilitating en gagement of the cover portion,provides a convenient means of wiping excess polish from the applicator.Further, ridge 22 cooperates with indentations 2b to prevent movement ofthe paste cake. Preferably, the container portion has a ridge 19intermediate the bevelled edge and the bottom of the container forseating skirt ll of the cover portion. Although the above describedreceptacle is a preferred embodiment, due primarily to the snap-offcover feature, any hermetically scalable, circular, substantially flatcontainer can be substituted in the instant shoe polishing kit.

Applicator 3 comprises sponge 3i substantially rigid backing member 31and top portion 32. The sponge, which is fixedly secured to thesubstantially rigid backing member, can be fabricated from any spongymaterial, but is preferably constructed from polyurethane foam, due tothe materials exceptional resistance to the volatile solvents which arepresent in the wax. The backing member, which is composed of stiifpaper, cardboard or plastic, is fixedly secured to sponge .30 byadhesive or other suitable means. Top portion 32, which is constructedfrom a plastic, such as polypropylene or polyethylene or a light metal,comprises skirt portion 33, upper surface 34 and butterfly tabs 35.Upper surface 34 is cut away, as most clearly seen in FIGURE 1, formingbutterfly tabs 35 integral therewith. The tabs, which are hinged tosurface 34 at 350, preferably have ribs 36 and 36a on the upper surfacethereof. These ribs interlock when the tabs are in the extendedposition, greatly enhancing the rigidity of the entire appliactor forapplying polish. Additionally, tabs 35 preferably have corrugated undersurfaces 37, which enable a more firm grip on the applicator. Down-Wardly extending ridges 37a meet backing member 31 and retain the tabsin a slightly raised relationship for more convenient grasping. Uppersurface 34 has raised annular ridge 38 extending completely around theperiph eral edge of the top portion of the applicator, and ridge 38aextending across the top surface for reinforcing the structure. As isapparent, modification of the reinforcing means can be made, forexample, a series of short bars or an I-shaped ridge extending acrosssurface 34. Moreover, it can be advantageous to form finger voids, notshown in the drawing, in upper surface 34, adjacent ribs 36 and 36a, formore convenient raising of the butterfly tabs. Skirt portion 33 has aseries of serrations on the lower surface thereof, which are turnedinwardly into sponge 33 and below the rigid backing member, therebymaintaining the sponge and backing member fixedly secured to the topportion of the applicator. The teeth are conveniently turned in by rollforming, i.e., applying pres sure to the teeth, preferably employing ablunt tool which is held against the teeth as the entire applicator isrotated, and at the same time, holding the foam out of contact. Thedeformation can be accomplished by cold spinning, or heat can beapplied.

As is apparent, the novel applicator is extremely simple in constructionand can be conveniently made, employing simple molding operation. Theinterlocking of ribs 36 and 360, when the butterfly tabs are in extendedposition, provides an unexpected high degree of rigidity to the entireapplicator. Moreover, since the butterfly tabs of the applicator have atendency to remain in an extended positllQH after the first use, theypress against the upper surface of cover portion 1, holding theapplicator firmly within the receptacle, even after substantially all ofthe polish has been used. Moreover, the serrations along the lower skirtof the top portion, which are turned in to engage the foam and rigidbacking member, will not permit loosing of the sponge from the topportion, even though a relatively large force is applied to the lowersurface of the sponge while applying polish. Furthermore, the topportion, preferably constructed from polypropylene or polyethylene,which may have some tendency to swell and expand, due to the solventvapors in the closed kit, will not break away from the sponge portion,but is maintained fixedly secured by the turned in teeth. The design ofthe instant polishing kit is extremely simple in construction and stillprovides the essentials of an ideal shoe polishing kit.

It should be appreciated that while only the preferred embodiment hasbeen described, the invention is not restricted thereto. Modificationswill be apparent to one skilled in the art which come within the scopeof the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A substantially flat shoe polish applicator for use in combinationwith a low dome receptacle, comprising a spongy portion fixedly securedat one surface to a substantially rigid backing member and a top portionfixedly secured to said backing member and spongy portion, said topportion comprising an upper surface and a skirt, said upper surfacehaving first and second finger grip tabs integral with and depressalblyhinged thereto, said tabs each having ribs on the extreme end of theupper surface thereof, said ribs of the first tab interlocking with saidribs of the second tab when the tabs are in the raised position, therebyadding rigidity to the applicator.

2. A substantially flat shoe polish applicator accordring to claim '1,wherein the skirt of the top pontion contains turned in serrations inadhering engagement with said backing member and spongy portion.

3. A substantially fiat shoe polish applicator accord- 5 ing rto claim2, wherein the upper surface of the top portion has reinforcing ridgesintegral therewith.

4. A substantially fiat shoe polish applicator according to claim 3,wherein the under surface of the finger grip tabs are corrugated.

5. A substantially flat shoe polish applicator according to claim 1,wherein the top pontion is polyethylene, the spongy portion polyurethanefoam and the backing member cardboard.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FranceAug. 11, 1954

1. A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SHOE POLISH APPLICATOR FOR USE IN COMBINATIONWITH A LOW DOME RECEPTACLE, COMPRISING A SPONGY PORTION FIXEDLY SECUREDAT ONE SURFACE TO A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID BACKING MEMBER AND A TOP PORTIONFIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID BACKING MEMBER AND SPONGY PORTION, SAID TOPPORTION COMPRISING AN UPPER SURFACE AND A SKIRT, SAID UPPER SURFACEHAVING FIRST AND SECOND FINGER GRIP TABS INTEGRAL WITH AND DEPRESSABLYHINGED THERETO, SAID TABS EACH HAVING RIBS ON THE EXTREME END OF THEUPPER SURFACE THEREOF, SAID RIBS OF THE FIRST TAB INTERLOCKING WITH SAIDRIBS OF THE SECOND TAB WHEN THE TABS ARE IN THE RAISED POSITION, THEREBYADDING RIGIDITY TO THE APPLICATOR.